The Access Working Group created this guide for consumers interested in buying food produced locally, which includes links to sites designed to assist consumers in buying local. Help a local farmer, help the local economy, help the environment...and enjoy healthier and better-tasting food while you’re doing it!

The Access Working Group has compiled resources from local industry leaders who have found success using local meat and produce in area restaurants. If you are considering using more local ingredients in your restaurant, or if you are a producer looking to grow connections in the restaurant industry, here are a few suggestions on how to make those all-important connections and what to consider before you go local!

The Access Working Group offers this page to provide you with helpful links, highlighting best practices of growing produce, community gardening opportunities, local zoning policies, and much more. Feel free to explore these sites as you start on your adventure to growing your own food!

The Access Working Group partnered with Columbus Public Health in order to identify areas of Columbus where it may be more difficult to buy fresh, nutritious food compared to foods of poorer quality. Knowing where these areas are is important because people generally use the food sources closest to them. And living in areas where it’s harder to have a healthy diet can contribute to poorer health. But knowing where these areas are offers an opportunity for more targeted, more effective community interventions. The 2013 Food Balance Ratio Analysis offers a geographic picture of these “unbalanced” food areas. You can access the tool by clicking the above heading (for best results, use Google Chrome or a browser other than Internet Explorer).